The city of Boulder is considering what its energy future will look like. The goal it to acquire "clean, local and reliable" energy in the future, and one voter-approved option is to start a municipal utility. For more information on the history of this decision, click here.

No decisions on coaching staff made on Saturday

Colorado football fans will have to wait another week for an official announcement from coach Jon Embree about changes to his coaching staff for the 2013 season.

The Buffs wrapped up the worst season in the modern era of the program on Friday with a home loss to Utah, dropping the team's overall record to 1-11. CU also went winless at Folsom Field all season for the first time in history.

While Embree and his bosses contemplate what is best for the future of the program, Embree plans to turn his attention to recruiting in the coming days. He's hoping to add as many as six more recruits to the 13 commitments he already has received for the 2013 class.

Embree said he hopes to land two more linebackers, two more defensive backs, an athlete and possibly another quarterback. Recruiting sites have reported in recent weeks that the Buffs are recruiting Kelly Hilinski, a 6-foot-6 pro-style quarterback from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif.

Embree has admitted he is planning to change his offense from a pro-style system to a spread system and he said he has his eyes on a player who might fit perfectly as the quarterback of that system in the future.

Since taking over the Colorado program two years ago, Embree and many of his assistant coaches have been in an unfamiliar position on the recruiting trail -- recruiting to a losing program.

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During his early career as an assistant coach at CU and UCLA, Embree had winning to sell. He said the fundamentals of recruiting never change no matter what state your program is in. He said other coaches always find ways to put negative thoughts in the heads of recruits whether the Buffs are winning or losing.

"When you talk to kids, you've just got to talk to them about the things that are important to them and show them how you can help them reach their goals that they want to achieve," he said.

Embree acknowledged there are differences in recruiting to a 1-11 record and a winning record.

"If we were 9-3 right now, it would be a lot different from that standpoint that we would probably be done," Embree said. "We're out looking for maybe four or five more kids and we'd probably be done right now and maybe have commitments from a couple kids in the next class.

"From that standpoint, you are behind a little bit, but you've just got to make the best of it."

Embree's current list of commitments has been criticized by CU fans who complain the 2013 class is being filled with players who received little if any attention from other BCS level programs. Embree said he is aware of that criticism but he doesn't pay attention to it because he believes in the evaluations and projections he has done on recruits with his assistant coaches.

CU coaches have tried to sell opportunity to recruits over the past two years and they are continuing that pitch this year. With the program struggling badly and still lacking speed and depth, there is obviously plenty of opportunity for recruits to make an impact next season.

Embree said the only exception is at offensive line where he expects to be able to redshirt each of the five offensive linemen who have committed in the 2013 class.

There are some players Colorado has no chance at recruiting because those athletes want no part of joining a program in rebuilding mode. Embree said that doesn't always prevent him from trying to recruit them anyway, but he generally knows relatively quickly if he has any chance at changing a player's mind.

"There are some guys who are looking to go where the success is happening now," he said. "I tell guys college football is cyclical. Two years ago Auburn won the national championship. Now I know they're struggling. Notre Dame two years ago, where were they? You can go down the list. So that's one of the things you talk to kids about, 'You can come here and be a part of the solution.'"

Embree is proud of reporting that despite the results on the field this season, each recruit who has made an official visit to CU this fall has committed to be a part of the 2013 class.

"I think that's a testament to our players and obviously they see an opportunity where they can come in and help."

Colorado coaches also continue to fight to put together competitive classes despite the university maintaining strict admissions policies and academic requirements that aren't in place at most other programs around the country or the Pac-12 Conference.

"There are kids that can do to other schools that we maybe can't recruit here," Embree said. "So, it's not that we didn't want to recruit the kid or didn't know about them. We found out early on in the process that it wasn't going to work being able to get them in, whether it's an admissions thing or whether it's something else that just wasn't going to work.

"They may sign with schools we're going to play against and all that, but it's not because we didn't know about the kid or wasn't going to try. It's just we couldn't get them in."

Ballot language:
In November, Boulder voters narrowly approved two ballot issues related to starting a municipal utility: 2B and 2C. You can read the full text of the ballot language on the city's website.

Issue 2B asked voters to increase the existing utility occupation tax by up to $1.9 million a year. The money from the tax, which will be collected from customers by Xcel Energy, will be used by the city to cover the costs of moving forward with forming a municipal utility, such as more studies and legal fees.

Issue 2C asked voters for permission to actually form a municipal utility. The language allows the city to sell the necessary bonds to take over the current system from Xcel, but it states that the city may only move forward with forming a municipal utility if it can start the utility with rates that are the same or cheaper than Xcel's.

Helpful Links:City of Boulder: This is where the city is aggregating all of its documents, meeting information and updates on Boulder s energy future: bouldercolorado.gov/energyfuture

RenewablesYes: This website is run by the group of volunteers that lobbied local voters to pass a utility occupation tax in November to replace the expiring franchise fee from Xcel Energy. Now, the group is advocating for the city to secure a cleaner, more local energy supply. renewablesyes.org

Xcel Energy: Xcel is the largest utility in Colorado, and it currently provides electricity to Boulder. The city s 20-year franchise agreement with Xcel expired at the end of 2010. xcelenergy.com

Boulder Smart Energy Coalition: A citizen group that supports the city's general energy goals but has concerns about the risks involved with starting a municipal utility. bouldersec.com

SmartGridCity: Xcel Energy has installed a smart grid in Boulder. This web site provides more information on that initiative. smartgridcity.xcelenergy.com

Colorado Association of Municipal Utilities: This Colorado Springs-based group represents the state s 29 municipal utilities, which include utilities based in Lyons and Longmont. coloradopublicpower.org